Berkley community remembers Vivian Carmody as a champion for development
BERKLEY, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) - Katie Kutcher calls Vivian Carmody an inspiration and one of the main reasons she bought a building on Coolidge Highway in Berkley.
"She is somebody I looked up to. Somebody who had a vision and could see a city and know what it needed," said Kutcher. "Complete heartbreak and what a great loss."
Kutcher credits Carmody for helping get her business and many others off the ground when Carmody first became the executive director of the city's Downtown Development Authority (DDA) in 2017.
"She was such a huge key component for this city, Eastern Market [and] wherever she was," she said.
Carmody has been described as fierce, innovative and a champion for development.
Kutcher says she spearheaded implementing a road diet to Coolidge Highway and embraced outdoor dining.
Carmody's passion, grit and determination to grow Berkley's downtown will forever be a part of her legacy.
"In five years, the development she implemented a few years ago is paying off," Kutcher said.
Carmody was killed in a crash around 5:30 p.m. on Friday on St. Aubin and East Lafayette Streets in Detroit. Carmody's husband, Dan Carmody, CEO of Eastern Market, was injured and is recovering at an area hospital.
A male driver in his 20s was taken into custody in connection to the crash. In a press conference on Monday, Police Chief James White said drugs and alcohol appear to be a factor in the incident. A preliminary investigation revealed the driver, who is expected to survive, may have suffered an overdose when he hit the Carmodys.
Bridgett Dean, the Mayor of Berkley says she was in "total shock" when she heard of Carmody's sudden passing. The two met a few years back during Dean's time as a business owner.
She credits Carmody's work as the executive director of the DDA for the city's thriving downtown.
"Had she not been in Berkeley during the time she was, our downtown will not look how it is today," she said.
Dean says Carmody was an inspiration and role model for her. Dean says she will be truly missed.
"She will be remembered as that person who had vision, who loved downtowns," she said. "She was so vibrant and full of life."